Progressive Politics in Minnesota, the Nation, and the World

Internal Democratic Struggles Are So Unproductive

I find it enormously frustrating that Democratic activists and candidates seem to focus their ire in the wrong places. I agree with their view. I want to make the same changes. I will work to make that happen. But we have to work in the areas that can actually make a difference.

For example. Regarding Citizens United. Democrats talk loud and long about this Supreme Court decision being wrong. It is drowning our elections in corporate money and the vast majority of that money supports Republicans.

Yet, the term "Wall Street Democrats" is popping up much too often. Sure, there are Democratic candidates who take Wall Street money. It is not ideal but funding a campaign has to have money, at least until we can fix this.

And where will the fix come from? Well, since the Supreme Court has ruled that money is "free speech" and corporations are "people", the only sure way to fix it is with a Constitutional amendment. And that means electing people who will support that concept. When a Democrat raises a lot of money, the tendency is to dismiss that person as not on our side. I disagree. If they manage to get elected and have made a pledge to us, we can hold them accountable.

Of course, the question becomes...why not support a candidate who will not take big money - a candidate who will run a"grass roots" campaign? Well, the only person who managed to make that work was Bernie Sanders... and even at that he was out of money by the end of the primary season...and he still lost. And to my mind, Bernie was unique in that regard. Candidates that he has been willing to support have not gotten the same monetary support and have not been winning.

Money is critical for winning any race. Even more so in Congressional and other Federal campaigns. I don't like it, but I refuse to accept the idea that Democratic candidates who raise a competitive amount of money are not really with us. The ugly reality is that raising money is the only way to a campaign's true viability. And outside money can crush us, even then.

But let's get back to the real fix. A Constitutional amendment needs to get 2/3rds of both Houses and 2/3rds of the state legislatures.

Since Republicans control both Houses and 30+ states, this doesn't look realistic right now.

But we have to look at a longer range plan. A plan that requires legislative focus and electoral action. Winning is the important thing. And if winning NOW requires monetary investments from wherever we can get it, then so be it. We make the pledge to the goal and find a way to get there - and that means holding any Democrat that can get elected accountable to any pledge they make regarding money in politics.

We cannot do this by internal bickering and semantic language. We need to find a way to win...period.

It is discouraging to me that Democrats, faced with the Trump problem and Republican domination, still think it is necessary to rehash the 2016 divisions and label our own candidates in negative ways.

It is frustrating. It is self destructive. And I, for one, am tired of it.

A viable platform would be helpful. The recent roll-out of the Democratic Party's "new deal" was long on rhetoric and very short on methods.

Obama recently spoke to a bunch of Axelrod recruits in Chicago. I am not sure of the exact quote but it was something like "You should not concern yourself with who you want to 'be,' you need to focus on what you intend to do." They want to be a Democrat...who does what?

Lofty platitudes like creating good jobs and free college go a long way to promoting goodwill in headlines. But attempting to change the western culture (free market based) to eastern design (socialist/communal) is beyond the pale stupid. Free tuition sounds great to somebody figuring that issue out today. But for the majority that figured it out already, how many are really willing to part with significant future income to solve that problem for the next generation? Ditto for higher paying jobs. If the focus is on minimum wage arguments, you lost the 80% right there because they really don't want to pay extra at walmart or starbucks. In reality, how many actual people (outside of teens) do you personally know that actual make less than $12/hour?

For that matter, how many actual people do you know that are in a labor union? Outside of public employees, there are few who collectively bargain. Giving added power to those few does what for the majority?

Democratic Party is a collective of victims. Nurturing the victim culture does what for the victim? It makes them feel even more victimized. Move along people. Stop being a victim and start embracing the freedoms you were given to thrive.

The only voices that can and should be empowered with the support of people are those that are willing to embrace the needs of the American people, and willing to buck the group tribal think.